Lesson 12
Meaning of Exponents
Let’s see how exponents show repeated multiplication.
12.1: Notice and Wonder: Dots and Lines
What do you notice? What do you wonder?

12.2: The Genie’s Offer
You find a brass bottle that looks really old. When you rub some dirt off of the bottle, a genie appears! The genie offers you a reward. You must choose one:
- $50,000; or
- A magical $1 coin. The coin will turn into two coins on the first day. The two coins will turn into four coins on the second day. The four coins will double to 8 coins on the third day. The genie explains the doubling will continue for 28 days.
- The number of coins on the third day will be 2 \boldcdot 2 \boldcdot 2. Write an equivalent expression using exponents.
- What do 2^5 and 2^6 represent in this situation? Evaluate 2^5 and 2^6 without a calculator.
- How many days would it take for the number of magical coins to exceed $50,000?
- Will the value of the magical coins exceed a million dollars within the 28 days? Explain or show your reasoning.
Explore the applet. (Why do you think it stops?)
A scientist is growing a colony of bacteria in a petri dish. She knows that the bacteria are growing and that the number of bacteria doubles every hour.
When she leaves the lab at 5 p.m., there are 100 bacteria in the dish. When she comes back the next morning at 9 a.m., the dish is completely full of bacteria. At what time was the dish half full?
12.3: Make 81
-
Here are some expressions. All but one of them equals 16. Find the one that is not equal to 16 and explain how you know.
2^3\boldcdot 2
4^2
\frac{2^5}{2}
8^2
-
Write three expressions containing exponents so that each expression equals 81.
Summary
When we write an expression like 2^n, we call n the exponent.
If n is a positive whole number, it tells how many factors of 2 we should multiply to find the value of the expression. For example, 2^1=2, and 2^5=2 \boldcdot 2 \boldcdot 2 \boldcdot 2 \boldcdot 2.
There are different ways to say 2^5. We can say “two raised to the power of five” or “two to the fifth power” or just “two to the fifth.”